A lady once took a white dress to the cleaners with a small stain on the shoulder. When she picked it up, it has large brown rust stains on the shoulders and on the back of dress. Horrified, she told the clerk at the counter that she had a problem with the cleaning, and that the dress was worse than when she brought it in and it hadn’t been cleaned. The clerk stubbornly insisted that the dress had been cleaned—it went into the dry cleaning machine (she had witnessed it herself) and came out again, so it was indeed “cleaned.” No amount of reasoning would change her mind.
No matter what you think, in the end, the customer is the final judge of whether or not they were satisfied with your service. Here are some ways to measure whether or not your customers are truly being served.
1. Feedback. “How was our service?” It’s easy to keep a check sheet at the register or customer service desk and record the answer to that simple question. If you don’t ask, you won’t know. Surveys are good, but keep them short and simple. People expect results, so if you ask for their opinion on what to do to make things better, listen and then make changes where you can.
No matter what you think, in the end, the customer is the final judge of whether or not they were satisfied with your service. Here are some ways to measure whether or not your customers are truly being served.
1. Feedback. “How was our service?” It’s easy to keep a check sheet at the register or customer service desk and record the answer to that simple question. If you don’t ask, you won’t know. Surveys are good, but keep them short and simple. People expect results, so if you ask for their opinion on what to do to make things better, listen and then make changes where you can.
2. Body language and tone of voice. If you have direct customer contact, the person’s demeanor should match the answer. A “yes” when the customer looks down, sighs or scowls is a dead giveaway they really mean “no.” A follow up question, “Was there anything we could have done better?” may give you some honest feedback.
3. Repeat business. Do you see the same customers or just new faces? New customers are great, but if they don’t come back, there is a reason. Repeat customers want to do business with you and come back for more.
4. Number of compliments. How often do customers call with something positive to say? And not just about your lower prices. How many times do customers take the time to ask for a manager to compliment your service? Or send an email? Put the emphasis on the positive.
5. Customer loyalty. Long-term customers stay with you through hard economic times and the new discount store across the street. Why would someone spend $46,000 for a new BMW when they can get a reliable, attractive car for a third of the price? BMW’s reliability and their legendary service.
6. Referrals. Are you spending half your profits trying to lure new customers with expensive advertising? Great service makes happy customers who turn into free marketing. Each customer is a potential ad for you, positive or negative.
Carefully consider the six signs that your customers are being served and rate yourself. On a scale of one to five, with one being the highest, are you a superstar #1? Or somewhere in the middle? If you are down around four or five, start with talking to your customers and find out what you can do to gain and retain their business.
By Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, MJNH Consulting
Carefully consider the six signs that your customers are being served and rate yourself. On a scale of one to five, with one being the highest, are you a superstar #1? Or somewhere in the middle? If you are down around four or five, start with talking to your customers and find out what you can do to gain and retain their business.
By Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, MJNH Consulting
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